Articles
What the label says and what it means. No promises — composition, doses and units.
What “standardised to 20%” means on a label
Two extracts of identical weight can contain ten times different amounts of the active compound. The standardisation percentage is the number that shows it.
How to read a supplement label
Ingredients are listed by weight, the dose refers to the whole daily serving, and “proprietary blend” means the amounts are not published. Four things that change how a label reads.
Caffeine in supplements: where it comes from and how to add it up
Caffeine rarely sits in one place in a formula. Some arrives as pure caffeine, some through guarana or green coffee. How to add up the total, and what to compare it against.
Phaseolamin: what the “20%” on white kidney bean means
White kidney bean extract is standardised as a percentage of phaseolamin. Ours is at 20% — here is what that means in milligrams.
Ashwagandha: withanolides are the number that matters
150 mg of extract at 10% and 300 mg at 5% contain the same amount of withanolides. This is why weight alone does not compare two products.
Synephrine from bitter orange: where to find the number
60 mg of extract standardised to 50% means 30 mg of synephrine. An ingredient where the exact figure is worth knowing, and the dose worth not exceeding.
CLA: what the “60%” on the label refers to
CLA is made from vegetable oil and is never pure. The percentage says what share of the oil is the acid itself — and without it the milligrams mean nothing.
Magnesium: why “200 mg” on a label is not 200 mg of magnesium
Minerals are taken as a compound, and only part of that weight is the mineral itself. The difference between compound weight and elemental weight can be tenfold.
Maca 100:1: what an extract ratio actually means
A ratio and a percentage are two different numbers. “100:1” says how much raw material went in, not how much active compound came out — which is why it cannot be compared with a percentage.
Tribulus: what “95% saponins” stands for
Tribulus extract is standardised by saponin content. Grades vary widely, and at the same label weight the difference in milligrams is several-fold.
Vitamin B12: which form the label names
B12 is permitted in several chemical forms. The micrograms on a label do not say which one is in the capsule — but the form is usually printed in brackets beside the name.
Reishi: fruiting body or mycelium — and why the percentage depends on the answer
With mushrooms there are two different raw materials under one name. Which of them was used changes what a polysaccharide percentage on the label actually means.
L-glycine: purity is the second number after the dose
With amino acids the dose is easy to see and the purity is rarely declared. That second figure says how much of the stated weight is the amino acid itself.
L-glutathione: “reduced” is part of the name, not decoration
Glutathione exists in two forms and the label usually says which. Together with a purity percentage, those are the two figures that make two packs comparable.